Aeon Timeline Reviews

Summary: The price is incredible for this high level of functionality and customization. I've been using this program for years and can only highly recommend it.

Positive: No other app comes close to providing this level of functionality for timelines and event tracking. You can use it for organizing your novel, project management, historical education, world-building, and more. There is a high level of customization: you can create your very own custom calendar, and as many item categories as you want (so you are not limited to categorizing an item as a Person or a Place; you can add different professions, natural forces, astrological signs, whatever you want). You can filter events using a robust tagging system and there are multiple timeline views suitable for different uses.

Negative: The UI is overcrowded and clunky, with a relatively steep learning curve. The variety and complexity of features are astounding, but the devs have not succeeded at making their implementation intuitive.

Support and communication are poor, with infrequent updates (usually once a year at most). That said, existing features are already rich and complex, bugs are rare and repaired regularly, and when updates do come, they tend to be very wide-ranging.

Summary: As I said in the title, it's a very good piece of software, so close to being great. I don't know any another software that does timelines so well so for me it's invaluable.

The other review here is a bit harsh.

Positive: Surprisingly powerful timeline creator.
Good price for such a complex piece of software.
Great writing and story creation - syncing with Scrivener isn't a problem.
Support is fine.
The new narrative relationships spreadsheet is really useful.

Negative: Updates with new features and bug-fixes could be quicker
Project management features are lacking - allocating time to individuals isn't practical if people aren't working full time on the task.
More support attention to the forum would be nice.

Summary: If you were a V2 user... You will be lost in the newer version since everything has changed. Accordingly to my experience, it is not a an upgrade from version 2, but a complete new software. Therefore the learning curve is very long... And you will find that you cannot do what you were able to do with the former version...

Importing a V2 document in the V3 is useless if you were using former functions of the software such as web export, the display mode, showing the event ID in the timeline (in the form off numbers and subcategories such as 1.1, 1.2, 1.2.1, etc.) that are going to be only available in the spreadsheet mode in the # column... because the ID is now in another column (that can be shown on the timeline) but cannot be ordered in subcategories anymore. Therefore the ID is 1, 2, 3, 4 etc... Which I find useless to show in the timeline... For all such reasons, you better stick with V2 if you want to keep working on your former timeline.

It might be interesting to look at the version 3 in the perspective of a new timeline software (just like if you were going to try a new software for your timeline, no matter if you were or not a AEON Timeline user before). It such case, you may want to test other software as well and see if other solutions are responding better to your needs... Since AEON Timeline is very expensive.

And for such an expensive software, the problem is the future of the software... Will we be able to keep using our files in the version 4 ??? And that is the main problem with AEON Timeline and the developer is that there is no continuity between versions... A reality that you won't see from your preferred software for writing... that have been constantly improved by armies of developers at a much better price...

Anyway... the main message of this review is that AEON timeline V2 and AEON timeline are good software... but two different ones... Therefore, you will feel that you have pay for two software and not an upgrade of the former version... and that makes it event more expensive... particularly if your are planning for the future because the following question remains : what is it going to happened with V4... and V5...

Positive: - Nice New looking interface;
- Might be interesting if you never employed Aeon Timeline before and you need a timeline software.

Negative: 1- Major issues between Version 2 and Version 3 :
- Import of former work in the newer version is a real nightmare since many concept have drastically change in the V3 ;
- The lost of web export function (that comes with a very not convincing justification) ;
- Data lost (particularly in the display settings that doesn't exist anymore) ;
- Vocabulary changes (ex. entities and events are becoming types... or Items... well it is not clear depending of the view or area of the software you're in) ;
- Syncing with Scrivener and Ulysses is very complex when you import a V2 in V3, and you may here too lose some data.
2- Very bad client services with almost impossible to obtain a refund (particularly if you buy the software directly from the producer... It might be different through other platform such as Apple Store.. I haven't experiment it), therefore make sure to test it before buying it directly from ;
3- Very long learning curve if you were used to Version 2... The software is not an upgrade, but a complete new software.
4- A strong lack in further development of the software.